IDPH calls on Illinoisans to guard against mosquitoes, Zika, West Nile

As we enter mosquito season, the Illinois Department of Public Health is reminding Illinoisans of the best ways to avoid being bitten.

Different types of mosquitoes can carry different types of diseases, like West Nile virus and Zika virus, but steps to protect yourself from mosquito bites are essentially the same.

“Each year since 2002 when we saw the first human cases of West Nile virus in Illinois, we’ve seen the virus circulate across the state,” said IDPH Director Nirav D. Shah, M.D. J.D. “Now, for the second summer, we’re monitoring for Zika virus in Illinois."

West Nile virus is transmitted through the bite of an infected Culex pipiens, “house” mosquito.

Mild cases of West Nile virus infections may cause a slight fever or a headache.

More severe infections are marked by a rapid onset of a high fever with head and body aches, disorientation, tremors, convulsions and, in the most severe cases, paralysis or death.

Symptoms usually occur from three to 14 days after the bite of an infected mosquito.

However, four out of five people infected with West Nile virus will not show any symptoms.

People older than 50 are at higher risk for severe illness from West Nile Virus.

Zika virus is primarily transmitted through the bite of an Aedes aegypti mosquito, a mosquito that rarely has been found in Illinois.

Unlike West Nile virus, Zika virus can be passed from person to person through sex, so it’s important to wear a condom if you or your partner may have been exposed to Zika.

Many people infected with Zika virus won’t have symptoms or will have only mild symptoms and might not realize they have been infected.

The most common symptoms of Zika are fever, rash, joint pain, and conjunctivitis (red eyes), and typically last several days to a week.

However, Zika virus infection during pregnancy can cause a serious birth defect called microcephaly, as well as other severe fetal brain defects.

Since December 2015, 116 cases of Zika virus have been reported in Illinois; 115 cases are travel-related and one case occurred through sex with someone who traveled to an area with Zika virus.

Predicting how bad the mosquito season will be is like predicting the weather - it can change week to week.

The key factors in determining high or low levels of mosquito activity are temperature and rainfall.

Although people usually notice mosquitoes during rainy conditions, those mosquitoes are commonly called floodwater or nuisance mosquitoes (Aedes vexans) and typically do not carry disease.

In hot, dry weather, mosquitoes that carry West Nile virus breed in stagnant water, like street catch basins and ditches, and multiply rapidly.

Similarly, the type of mosquito that carries Zika virus also breeds in stagnant water like empty flower pots, tires, and any container that holds water that is not changed weekly.

Here are some simple precautions you can take to reduce the number of mosquitoes around your home and protect yourself from being bitten.

Precautions include practicing the three “R’s” – reduce, repel, and report.

REDUCE - make sure doors and windows have tight-fitting screens. Repair or replace screens that have tears or other openings. Try to keep doors and windows shut.

Eliminate, or refresh each week, all sources of standing water where mosquitoes can breed, including water in bird baths, ponds, flowerpots, wading pools, old tires, and any other containers.

REPEL - when outdoors, wear shoes and socks, long pants and a long-sleeved shirt, and apply insect repellent that contains DEET, picaridin, oil of lemon eucalyptus or IR 3535, according to label instructions. Consult a physician before using repellents on infants.

REPORT – report locations where you see water sitting stagnant for more than a week such as roadside ditches, flooded yards, and similar locations that may produce mosquitoes. The local health department or city government may be able to add larvicide to the water, which will kill any mosquito eggs.

Additional information about the Zika virus and West Nile virus can be found on the IDPH website.